Behringer Considering a Minimoog Model D Clone

Update: renders & initial specs posted here.

This one spotted and sent in via Soviet Space Child.

Thoughts? Is this ethical considering Moog Music has already re-issued the original Minimoog Model D? A cheaper clone would undoubtedly hurt Moog's income, potentially making it more difficult for them to make new products. Does that matter to you? Feel free to leave a comment below.

"Thanks for the great feedback. I certainly respect everyone's opinion and emotions.

Allow me to share my view:

Our loyalty is always with our customers and hence we build what they request. This is what we stand for and this will never change.

The general rule and the law clearly describe that technology is free for everyone to use, provided it is not protected. You may have a different personal view, but that's how our society and every industry works - again why the law has been designed the way it is.

In case of the MiniMoog there is no IP (Intellectual Property) involved as the technology is more than 40 years old and all patents have long expired. As a result, the property is now in the public domain, free for everyone to use. Without this principle there would only be one car or synthesizer manufacturer in the world.
For this exact reason you will find many companies who are manufacturing replicas of all sorts, including the MiniMoog - simply google it.

We believe there are two typical types of customers:

The ones who aspire to purchase the original product and provided they can afford the price, they will buy such a high-priced product.
It is well known marketing knowledge, that lower cost and competing products do contribute to more awareness and hence stimulate both ends of the market.
Many companies such as Tesla, Toyota etc. have now opened their patents to the public domain to allow other manufacturers to enter the same market and actually compete with them.

Open source and open innovation are now trends that you'll find in many industries, simply because the benefit of collaboration outweighs protection of your IP.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-our-p...are-belong-you

Our primary customer is not the well-off doctor or lawyer, but the people with much less income. I was a struggling musician myself when I started my business 30 years ago and I made it my mission in life to enable musicians to pursue their musical dreams without financial obstacles.

This is the reason why we work with extremely slim margins and consequentially our focus must be on achieving high volume production as otherwise we couldn't survive.

When you work with such slim margins, aside from research and development, much effort goes into DFM (Design for Manufacturing), DFC (Design for Cost) and production engineering etc.

We employ over 400 engineers in MUSIC Group and we're hiring 100 more. You will find our engineering facilities in the UK, US, Germany, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, China, Philippines etc. If you're interested, feel free to drop by at our offices and meet our fantastic people.

Perhaps this synth is a great little project to demonstrate how the design process works and I am happy to involve you in the development.
Since the development has been done 40 years ago, it is a rather minimal engineering effort and once we have a working prototype and a projected price, we can then decide whether we will bring this product to market or not.

Someone here in the forum had a great idea to pack this synth into a compact Eurorack format and this coincides with some of our engineers' ideas. I will have our designers to come up with a quick design draft for you to comment on.

Thanks

Uli"

via Gearslutz.

ROBOTO Eurorack Robot Vocoder LoFi Module - Synthrotek Demo

Published on Mar 3, 2017 synthrotek

via Synthrotek

"Do you desire to have a vocoder, pitch shifter, speak-n-spell effect, vibrato, 8-bit modulator and a bit crusher sounding module all in a lo-fi heavily CV controllable package? Well surprise! we read your mind! The Roboto module is all these and more (and it has a neat Cylon looking graphic that lights up). Check it out!

Features:
Can be in either Robot mode or Pitch mode, but not both. Handy LEDs tell you which mode you're in. The ROBOT button toggles between the two.

Vibrato toggles on and off. Works in either Robot mode or Pitch mode.

Robot and Vibrato CV inputs activate those modes (and deactivates in the case of vibrato) upon receiving a gate pulse. Gate pulses in these inputs are just like pushing their corresponding buttons. Expected transition is from 0V to +5V (and back to 0V), but it will handle any voltage within the power supply range without damaging the module. Transition between what is considered "off" and "on" is at approximately 2.3V.

Rate pot/input control the clock speed in the chip. A CV input of 0-5V will mimic the range of the pot, but voltages outside of this range will push the rate setting further.

The CV input is mixed with the voltage coming from the pot.

The pitch pot is used to pitch the audio up or down when in pitch mode. It has 7 zones/pitches; 12:00 is normal pitch, and there are 3 steps up and 3 steps down from there.

0-5V fed into the Pitch jack mimic the full travel of the pot (0V is lowest, 5V is highest, normal is ~2.5V).
Voltages outside this range are tolerated but won't provide any added functionality.

The pitch pot is disabled when a plug is inserted into the CV jack.

Roboto is fun at parties.

IN LVL adjusts the level of the incoming signal.

MIX:
CCW=input signal only
CW=processed signal only.
Cool Robot LED indicator.
Current Draw:
+12v @ 65mA
-12v @ 15mA
+5v @ 0mA
Depth: 34.5mm (1.36in)
Comes With:
Keyed Power Cable.
2.5mm and 3mm rack screws.
Super cool sticker."

The Roboto was first mentioned here.

Fito's Soundlab

Published on Mar 3, 2017 Quincas Moreira

Yamaha SY-1 - Monophonic Vintage Synthesizer SN 3538

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

Some pics of the inside below. Note the enclosed VCA, VCO, and VCO, as well as the Sanyo components.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Instruo Troika triple oscillator

Published on Mar 3, 2017 Perfect Circuit Audio

"Troika, from Instruo, is a triple oscillator. It lends itself to beefy keyboard tones with the 1v/oct inputs normalled to each other. Although extremely useful to use it as one sound source, each oscillator can also be used independently for three independent sounds. Each oscillator has sync inputs, and linear FM inputs with attenuation. There is a waveform switch which provides a slider from Sine to Triangle, or Saw to Square. Individual outputs as well as a mix output allow for any configuration, along with individual level control knobs.

Available here: https://www.perfectcircuitaudio.com/i..."

MATRIXSYNTH members get a %10 discount at Perfect Circuit Audio! See the membership page for details.

Roland Jupiter 6 SN 354054

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

CLICK FOR MORE »

EDP Wasp Analog Synth SN 001979

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

CLICK FOR MORE »

Modular synthesizer for beginners - Part V: fill up your system, don´t get blinded

Published on Mar 3, 2017 studentsmusic

"Empty 'starter' rack cases provoke massive beginners-moneyburn. Don´t step into the technology competition trap. Stay reasonable and better create real art with small modulars without caring about mainstream."

All parts here.

Patch Notes #31 - Varigate 8+, Voltage Block & Chord Organ

Published on Mar 3, 2017 Voltage Control Lab

"I was setting up a generative patch using the Malekko Varigate 8+ and Voltage Block, and discovered that Music Thing had released a new module/Radio Music firmware, the Chord Organ, so I had to use it.

Varigate 8+ outputs 5 through 8 are randomized using Random Gate mode, with the END gate out routed back into the RND input, generating slightly (or not so slightly) randomized rhythms from those outs, as well as the Voltage Block when in slave mode. The V8 clock out is routed to the VB clock in, so the clock/slave modes can be toggled, randomizing the VB sequences in slave mode but not in clock mode.

V8 channel 5 is routed out to Make Noise Maths channel 1 trigger input, then from the unity output to trigger the Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas, and from the channel 1 out to the pitch input on the BI to give a little punchier of a kick. The output is routed to the Malekko Mix4.

Channel 6 on the V8 is routed to the trigger input on the Mutable Instruments Braids, which is in snare mode, then out to the Mix4. One channel on the Voltage Block is routed to the FM input, which is set to modulate the volume level of the internal VCA, giving the snare some more feel (hopefully).

Channel 7 is routed out to trigger channel 4 on Maths, the unity output from which is opening the Optomix channel for the Chord Organ. The root note and chord quality on the Chord Organ are controlled by two separate channels on the Voltage Block, then routed through the Make Noise MMG filter, into the Optomix and on to Mutable Instruments Clouds for some reverb and granularizing. Then, out to the Mix4.

Channel 8 is routed to the Malekko AD/LFO, which is opening the 2nd channel on the Optomix. This channel is creating the crunchy high frequency percussion from the Malekko Anti-Oscillator, frequency modulated by the the Sputnik Oscillator, both “sequenced” by two random voltage sources from the Sputnik West Coast Random Source. The Anti-Osc is routed to the Optomix and then on to the Mix4.

https://www.voltagecontrollab.com/"

Dave Smith Instruments Rev 2 vs DSI/Oberheim OB-6

"A snippet of a patch creation session where I ended up jamming OB-6 lead over a Rev 2 sequence.

Good fun, they sound very different!

OB-6/Rev2 > RME Fireface UC > Pro Tools
No effects or anything added after.

www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/prophetrev2/"